Escalators To Ease Accessibility at Temple in Northern India

The Ropeway and Rapid Transport System Development Corp. plans to welcome a pair of escalators at the Jakhu Temple in Shimla, in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, in late January, The Tribune reports. Featuring a 108-ft-tall statue of the Hindu deity Hanuman, the temple is accessible by foot, horse, taxi, ropeway — and now — escalators. The ropeway is an aerial lift that links a location near the center of Shimla to the temple, according to Wikipedia. Installed at a cost of Rs 7.33 crore (US$880,292), the escalators replaced stairs that posed challenges for the elderly and physically disabled. Joined together, the escalators are 23.23 m long each (for a total of 46.46 m), 1.65 m wide and travel at approximately 0.5 m/s. The escalator system will enable pilgrims to reach Jakhu Temple in about 2-3 min.